Call for abstracts: Special issue "AI in urban planning: Transformative technologies, pedagogies, and democratic futures"
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS
Editors: Asma Mehan, Esra Kut Görgün, Milan Husar and Subhashree Nath
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping how urban environments are analyzed, governed, and planned, bringing new analytical capabilities while also challenging core planning values related to equity, participation, and professional judgment. From machine learning models that inform land use decisions to AI-enabled tools for civic engagement, these technologies are increasingly embedded within planning processes. Yet the introduction of AI also raises urgent questions about data justice, transparency, accountability, and the future role of planning professionals. This special issue aims to advance interdisciplinary research that critically examines AI’s impacts, potential, and limitations in planning practice, governance, and education.
Our focus moves beyond technical optimization to explore how AI intersects with governance frameworks, ethical standards, and participatory practices. We invite contributions that investigate how cities, regions, and planning institutions are negotiating the adoption and regulation of AI systems, including novel approaches to accountability, democratic oversight, and public trust. Central to this inquiry is the role of pedagogy, as AI becomes more integral to planning research and practice, educational approaches must evolve to prepare future planners not only to use these tools but also to critique, adapt, and collaboratively co-design them. We welcome research on curricular innovations, studio formats, experiential learning strategies, and reflective pedagogical frameworks that integrate AI literacy with ethical reasoning, equity considerations, and community engagement.
Contributions addressing participatory AI development with marginalized communities, AI applications for resilience and sustainability, and reflective methodological innovations are especially welcome. Critical perspectives that challenge technocentric framings, interrogate algorithmic power, or address data sovereignty and inclusion will enrich theoretical debates and connect them to pressing real-world challenges. Through this thematic breadth, the special issue aligns with plaNext’s mission to foster innovative, critical, and interdisciplinary scholarship in spatial planning. By weaving together empirical cases, conceptual analysis, and pedagogical insights, the issue will offer a comprehensive overview of how AI is reshaping planning theory, practice, and education, and it will also serve as a platform for future research in this rapidly evolving domain.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, architecture, urban planning, governance, ethics, participatory design, pedagogy, data justice, digital methods
The timeline for publication is scheduled as follows:
— Call for abstracts: December 18, 2025
— Deadline for the submission of abstracts: February 15, 2026
— Acceptance of abstracts: March 1, 2026
— Deadline for the submission of full papers: June 15, 2026
— Peer Review and Revision: July 2026 – September 2026
— Publication: December 2026
Abstracts should not exceed a maximum number of 500 words. Please send your abstracts to the journal's official email: planextjournal@gmail.com by adding “Special issue AI in urban planning” in the subject. Please include your full name and affiliation.
